My first ever visit to Europe will happen this September. My original plan was to visit only Switzerland. After the advice of a few friends, I%26#39;ve been told I would love Austria, especially Salzburg. So, I am adding some days to my trip and have decided to fly into Munich, spend a couple of days/nights there, and then take the train to Salzburg. My plan thus far is to spend 3 days/nights in Salzburg, and to do a day trip to Hallstatt. Here%26#39;s my dilemma though. Do you think it would be worth spending a night in Hallstatt, or...would it make more sense to make a day trip out of it and to go on a day that I know is going to be clear? (I hear it%26#39;s much more beautiful in Hallstatt if it%26#39;s sunny and clear.) I%26#39;m really not a huge fan of checking in and out of hotels every day, and generally prefer to spend at least 3 days in each destination. However, I hear Hallstatt might be an exception...and worth a one-night stay. I was thinking of perhaps just basing my time out of Salzburg, though, and figured that perhaps a day in Hallstatt would be enough, and then I would have 2 days to experience Salzburg. Perhaps I should just add a day to Salzburg so it%26#39;s not all too rushed. When I leave Salzburg, I%26#39;ll be heading on the train to Switzerland...more than likely Zurich. I hear that%26#39;s quite a lengthy journey by train, but also quite beautiful.
I welcome all thoughts and advice!!
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My very personal advice would be to spend your days in Salzburg and make a day trip to Hallstatt if the weather is clear. We went on a rainy day and although the village, which is medieval and very pretty, was lovely to visit we were totally unable to see the mountains and they are what make Hallstatt so dramatic. Also Hallstatt is tiny and can be viewed in less than an hour. It is a long way from Salzburg but you go through magnificent scenery to get there so if the weather is good it%26#39;s well worth the trip.
Although you%26#39;re arriving in Salzburg by train I would advise against finding a hotel close to the railway station which is not the best part of town. Choose a hotel in the old city or just across the river in the Linzergasse area. Some friends of mine recently stayed at the Hotel Elefant, right in the heart of the old town, and loved it. A taxi ride to the station would only take 10-15 minutes from there.
Adding a day to your Salzburg visit would also be a good idea. Salzburg in September is lovely. The festival has just ended but the city still has something of a buzz with residual street entertainers still there. A visit up to the fortress, if you go inside and take the tour, can take half a day, especially as there are restaurants up there (one in particular, on the south side, is excellent for lunch). Mirabelgarten is a lovely place to while away an hour or two and that%26#39;s before you%26#39;ve visited anywhere else. The cafe society is wonderful so it%26#39;s nice to sit for a long time with a coffee and cake and watch the world go by. If you%26#39;re taking a trip to Hallstatt I think you%26#39;d really benefit from an extra day relaxing in Salzburg.
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Hi Jam,
Your friend is right, Austria is absolutely beautiful and full of interesting towns and cities. It is 30%-50% less expensive than its Alpine neighbor with similar scenery.
I would suggest just 2 days in Munich as there is not much besides the old town to explore and Bavarian castles are time consuming and difficult to get to, IMHO. The train journeys from Munich to Salzburg (1.30 hrs) and to Zurich (6 hrs) are scenic and worth the journey itself.
http://www.oebb.at (type %26quot;munchen%26quot; for Munich)
http://www.rail.ch
I suggest to have 4 days in Salzburg, take an impromptu day trip to Hallstat in one of the days as Liz has suggested. Even if Hallstat does not come through, there are half a dozen of lake towns around the Salzkammergut region to choose from for a scenic day trip within easy reach of Salzburg.
If you find the train journey from Salzburg to Zurich too long, you can have a half day break in Innbruck to continue the journey later. Innsbruck is another beautiful Austrian Alpine town surrounded by snow capped mountain view in its old town. Lock your luggage at train station locker and spend half a day there.
Personally, I find Zurich uninteresting. Lucerne (Luzern) which is an hour away is stunning and exudes more Swiss Alpine culture and architecture.
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Jam, exactly when are you going in September? If it%26#39;s later than September 22 you might wanna visit Munich%26#39;s biggest event - the OCTOBERFEST.... you can find info on that at www.oktoberfest.de
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%26gt;I would suggest just 2 days in Munich as there is not much besides the old town to explore
Oh indeed?
You are not really interested in art, music or architecture, I assume?
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Not to mention Englischer Garten, Deutches Museum, Olympic Park, BMW museum, Schloss Nymphenburg, trips to Amersee, Starnberg, Chiemsee, Dachau
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My plan at the moment is to arrive in Munich on Saturday, September 15, and was figuring I would spend two nights there. On Monday the 17th I would take the train to Salzburg. I%26#39;ve already decided that I really need to do 4 days in Salzburg, with perhaps a day trip to Hallstatt. Innsbruck is beautiful from what I hear. I might take the advice and perhaps spend at least a few hours there. Zurich is probably not going to demand as much attention from me, though Lucerne is beautiful from everything I hear. Unfortunately (maybe fortunately, depending on one%26#39;s perspective), I will not be in Munich during Oktoberfest, and will miss it by perhaps a week. I hear it%26#39;s extremely crowded and more expensive during that time anyway.
As I read and type, I think of more things to ask. Would it be better to do all of the planning and reservations on my own, or is it really helpful to have a travel agent do the work for you? I%26#39;m having mixed feelings at the moment, but am leaning toward doing 100% of the trip on my own. I don%26#39;t want to do a completely guided tour, as I%26#39;m a very independent traveller and prefer to do things at my own pace.
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Hi jam1961,
I think part of the fun of travelling is planning. With the help of TA members, you can see and stay in what are recommended. You can take some day trip, for example in Salzburg to surrounding towns and mountains.
Because you concentrate on just a few cities, most of which are easy to scroll the places of interests or have excellent transportation options, joining a tour may be a waste of money.
Hi altamiro %26amp; flyodman51,
I prefer Salzburg over Munich largely because its places of interest is so compact. There was a lot of walking over broad streets and empty park in Munich when I was there. I usually prefered to walk to see sights but it was a long walk from altstadt to English Garden.
Oh yeah, you do get musuems, music, art and architecture in Salzburg. Pershap, because I lived in the UK for few years, the English garden is vast but little to see. I am not interested in Olympic stadium and BWM museum. I did mention the possibility of visiting surrounding Bavarian towns and castles but the poster has limited time to spend.
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Hi AlexMcca,
You are correct, in that a lot of the fun is in the planning. I am having a lot of fun doing my research, reading about others%26#39; experiences, etc. I really do wish I had more time. I know I could do more things in my two weeks, but I don%26#39;t want to be travelling on the train every day going to each destination. I could literally spend one night in, for example: Munich, Salzburg, Innsbruck, Vienna, Zurich, Lucerne, and would see every city in just six days, but have absolutely no depth to my experience. That obviously is not the experience I am seeking. I%26#39;ve always dreamed of visiting the Alps in Switzerland and Austria, so for my first ever trip to Europe that will be my primary focus, along with absorbing the culture and history of each location. On my next visit I might just focus on Germany and Austria. I would love to see more of the Bavarian villages and castles, and Vienna is a city I would love to experience some day. There is also northern Germany, with Berlin...rich in history, and Hamburg. Of course, that region might be even yet another trip in and of itself.
I appreciate everyone%26#39;s input thus far. One of the things I%26#39;m told I will love is the sound of church bells in Salzburg, and how they echo off the surrounding hills and are very loud in the city itself. A co-worker of mine told me that when she was there and walking outside, she would literally stop when she heard the bells, and said the sound was simply amazing.
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Jam 1961,
I love the planning process for vacation. The more you read and plan the easier it will be for you to know what you want to see and what is possible in one day. What do you like to do? You need to figure out what the must see%26#39;s are, and then work from there. I love the two castle%26#39;s in Fussen. Rothenburg, a small walled town is also very fun to spend the night in. They are both outside of Munich. Your hotel will most likely offer day trips to these areas. Salzburg is also beautiful, but four days seems to long to me. I stayed two nights and did the sound of music tour which took us to the lake diatrict area. Salzburg is fairly small. Fun to walk around and shop, see the fortress, the gardens, and the churches. It all depends on what you want to do and see. I want to go to Hallstat too. I love hiking so two night would be good for me. They have the salt mine tour, boat trip, bone chapel, ice caves and hiking. You really can%26#39;t go wrong any place that you decide on because they are all beautiful. I am just thinking that you want to see as much as you can, but not feel too rushed. A home base hotel is good and then take side trips. It%26#39;s hard to plan everthing beforehand because when you get there you may find out about a local attraction that you did not know about.
Parris
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Parris,
I debated on whether or not 4 days would be too much for Salzburg. Knowing who I am, I think it will be a good amount of time. I will want to do at least two days of sightseeing within the city of Salzburg itself. I also want to do an entire day trip to Hallstatt. I debated on whether or not to do an overnight trip here, but decided against it because I prefer staying in one place for at least 3 nights if possible. I%26#39;ll just want to pick a good day weather wise, and go as early as possible to Hallstatt and spend as much of the day as possible. I see myself doing perhaps a city-wide tour of Salzburg, and/or just walking the city taking in the various sites. I have a very high threshhold for boredom, and a high interest in old, historical locations and beautiful scenery. My first two nights will be in Munich, a week before Oktoberfest. I%26#39;ve been told I should not miss Oktoberfest, but I think I would go absolutely nuts with the crowd at Oktoberfest. I%26#39;m not a person who enjoys huge crowds for a long period of time.
Anyway, last night I reserved my first hotel room in Salzburg. I%26#39;ll be staying at the Altstadthotel Weisse Taube. I wanted to stay as close to the Old Town as possible, and the reviews were quite good. I think it will be a perfect place for me. I%26#39;m finding Munich to be a bit more challenging at the moment, however. Many places seem to be filled to capacity for my first two days (Sept 15 and 16). Even though I%26#39;m not a huge crowd lover, I would love to stay as close to the heart of Munich as possible, to see the historical sites.
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